More than 10k North Korean troops in Russia for Ukraine war, says South Korea
reuters.com
reuters.com
The EU won't even shoot down Russian drones and missiles that stray/fly over NATO Territory on their way to Ukraine. What is the West thinking, this behavior seriously undermines their relevancy on the world stage.
The United States stands to lose a lot more by formally entering this conflict. NATO is still in effect, but given that Ukraine isn't yet a member there is no incentive to deploy NATO forces in Ukraine. It remains a wiser use of everyone's resources to use NATO training resources and inventories before we reach the point where boots-on-the-ground deployment is even an option.
I don’t believe this is correct. If Europe and the U.S. won’t defend Ukraine then what makes people think they’ll defend Taiwan? The U.S. is showing that it is not a reliable guarantor of security. Europe looks helpless and weak.
Suppose tomorrow it was announced that China has brokered a peace deal between Ukraine and Russia and that they will send peacekeepers to ensure compliance. Imagine the shitshow that would follow. As the war drags on and as Ukraine’s ability to fight wanes such a scenario becomes more likely.
I literally do not think China has the international clout to make that happen. China is deep in kahoots with Russia, and any deal brokered by them is no more likely to hold than the previous treaties. Ukraine's ultimate goal is to have the same security that other NATO countries enjoy, and that's not something China has the authority to offer them in the first place.
The US isn't involved in Ukraine like they are in Taiwan. If Ukraine becomes occupied territory, it will be a tragedy but the United States will be okay. If Taiwan is occupied, the entire concept of American economic leadership will be inherently jeopardized and free trade in the Taiwan Strait will probably cease. This would also offer a deeply threatening staging location for attacks on other allies a-la Japan and Australia, whereas the territory of Ukraine is arguably less strategically valuable than Crimea or Georgia, let alone Taiwan. I guess only time will tell.
No one wants to say it, but it's cowardice, and all it does is encourage the bullies of the world, and tells everyone else that you're on your own so you might as well only look out for number one.
Russia knows this, which is why they stirred up Hamas, Iran, and NK, and are actively interfering with Georgian and Moldovan elections. I mean, if nobody's going to stop you, why would you not do this to weaken and confuse your rival?
That may or may not be correct, but it's not totally unreasonable. Ukraine has proven to be resilient enough to conduct the war competently with just its own forces.
It all kinda goes out the window now. There's a very good chance that the US will pull all of its support in January. I suppose it's vaguely possible that the US might choose this window to throw caution to the wind and try end the war before that.
https://www.iswresearch.org/2024/11/russian-offensive-campai...